The vascular pattern of the chinchilla cochlea. The vasculature of the chinchilla cochlea was demonstrated with injected Prussian blue contrast. By and large, the vascular pattern is similar to other mammals. The vasculature appears to be richly developed, but separate types of vessels appear to be of small caliber. Particular findings for the chinchilla cochlea were the veins of the scala tympani, formed by a merging of collecting venules, running parallel to the spiral modiolar vein. Furthermore, no vessel of the basilar membrane under the tunnel of Corti was found, and which, when present, is of such great presumed importance for the oxygen supply to the organ of Corti. The scala vestibuli wall appears to be supplied completely arterially, in contrast with that of other mammals. The stria vascularis is broad and well developed, both at the apex and at the basal end.


The effect of 6-hydroxydopamine on the rabbit cochlea. 6-OH-DA is an isomer of noradrenalin which is selectively taken up by adrenergic axons. Noradrenalin stores are displaced by 6-OH-DA and at a certain intraneuronal concentration, degeneration of the terminals occurs and results in a chemical sympathectomy. The effects of 6-OH-DA on the rabbit cochlea were studied with fluorescence and electron microscopy after systemic administration of the substance and after local perfusion of the cochlea. Doses of 25 to 200 mg/kg were used. After intravenous injection there was an initial accumulation of 6-OH-DA in noradrenalin storage vesicles. A dose of 50 mg/kg 6-OH-DA initiated marked signs of degeneration in adrenergic nerve terminals but did not cause breakdown of their cell membranes. Higher doses did not seem to increase the damage. Local perfusion with 6-OH-DA gave rise to extensive degeneration of adrenergic nerve terminals and after 7 days all terminals had disappeared. These findings indicate the presence of a blood-perilymph barrier to 6-OH-DA. Some degeneration was also evident in cholinergic axons of the inner spiral bundle and of the tunnel spiral bundle.


[The effects of methodical factors on the microphonic potential in the guinea pig cochlea with perfusion of perilymph]. The decreas in microphonic potentials detected from the round window (RMP) is negligible only if the bores are located very close to the round window, whereas it will increase with increasing distance from it. Only at pressures of more than +/- 30 cm water column, in rare cases even below that, will a sharp decrease in the RMP occur, possibly because of a lesion of either the oval or the round windown membrane. At a perfusion pressure above +5.6 cm water column, the perfusion liquid will enter the cerebrospinal fluid space. At a lower pressure the perfusion liquid is diluted by cerebrospinal fluid via the cochlear aqueduct. The perfusion speed of 1 to 50 mul/min has no effect on the function of the organ of Corti.


Experimentally induced facial nerve compression in cats. An experimentally controlled compression of the facial nerve was induced in 32 cats by applying polyethylene tubes of different diameter on its main trunk. The effect of decompression (removal of the compressing tubes) was investigated by clinical evaluation of the eye blinking reflex, by recording the summation potential of the orbicularis oculi muscle and by histological investigation of the nerve specimens. The results obtained demonstrate that even in presence of degenerated nerve fibers, disrupture of the endoneural tubes can be avoided if decompression is performed within 12 days after injury. The release of circumferential pressure over the degenerated facial nerve within the above-mentioned delay is thus beneficial for optimal regeneration. The possible implications of these findings for the treatment of Bell's palsy are discussed.


Cardiovascular risk factors and hearing loss. A study of 1,000 fifty-year-old men. The hypothesis that cardiovascular risk factors might be of importance in the development of sensori-neural hearing loss was tested in a material of 1000 fifty-year-old men. No significant correlations were found. The present study confirmed the well-known observation that the left ear usually is poorer than the right. Hearing loss in the right ear was found to be related to the smoking habits in the groups with no history of noise exposure. The explanation for this is discussed. Hearing loss was more common in social class 3 than in the other social classes. This difference was principally referable to noise exposure but also to conductive hearing loss. A prospective study of this material will further analyze the question concerning a possible relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and hearing loss.


Development of renal control of salt and fluid homeostasis during the first year of life. This study describes the development of renal control of salt and water homeostasis. Twenty-three infants aged 3 weeks to 13 months were studied with respect to glomerular filtration rate (GFR) using single injection technique, ability to excrete an oral salt load, ability to excrete water, and diluting capacity. GFR developed exponentially, salt excretion linearly, water excretion was unchanged and diluting capacity actually decreased. A hypothesis is presented for the theoretical basis of this functional development taking into account the interdependence of the functional parameters studied. This theory might well explain the high incidence of hypernatremic dehydration in infants.


Studies on maturity in newborn infants. VII. Foetal haemoglobin. Cord blood from 125 newborns of various gestational ages has been analysed for the ratio foetal haemoglobin to total haemoglobin, using an alkali denaturation method. The quotient, percentage of foetal haemoglobin divided by birth weight correlates well with gestational age. Thus the percentage of foetal haemoglobin in cord blood can be used as a method for estimating maturity in newborn infants. Foetal haemoglobin has been compared with other methods for maturity assessments and seems to give the same precision in estimating gestational age as the best of these, which is the scoring of external characteristics. However, the latter method is considerably less time-consuming and more suitable for routine use.


Mucociliary wave pattern. A comparative analysis of extracellular and intracellular activities. Experimental in vitro studies have been made on the intracellular electrical activity and the extracellular wave movements of ciliary cells in rabbit trachea. The following results were obtained: 1. Surface light reflections from the mucous layer and from the ends of moving cilia showed about the same frequency and amplitude pattern as the intracellular action potential oscillations at 40 degrees C and 50 degrees C. At lower temperatures, however, there was a considerable discrepancy between them. 2. Surface light reflections from mucociliary wave movements had the same frequency in two areas 20 mum apart, but amplitude variations were out of phase. 3. Intracellular oscillations with a frequency of 18-21 per sec and a maximum amplitude of 1 mV have been recorded. Amplitude variations indicating rhythmical frequency variations have also been recorded. 4. The mean frequency of the intracellular action potential oscillations showed no remarkable differences at 20 degrees C, 30 degrees C, 40 degrees C and 50 degrees C.


The furosemid test for Menière's disease. In a previous report it was suggested that intravenous administration of furosemid followed by a comparative caloric test (the furosemid test) could be utilized for detection of endolymphatic hydrops (Kitahara et al., 1973). As a result of the further application of the furosemid test upon 161 patients with vertigo, positive results were observed in 80% of patients with typical Menière's disease, 6% of atypical Menière's disease, 42% with labyrinthine syphilis and 27% with sudden deafness. In patients with labyrinthitis, results were negative. It is thus concluded that the furosemid test provides positive evidence for determining the etiology of vertigo.


Otological studies in patients with deafness due to Paget's disease before and after treatment with synthetic human calcitonin. Audiometric and radiological assessments of 5 patients with deafness due to Paget's disease of the skull are presented. It was found that all patients had a mixed deafness. The conductive element was demonstrated in all ears by both negative Rinne tests and by pure-tone audiometry. A variety of radiological changes was found in the middle ear in all cases, and all ears had abnormal tympanometry. Sensorineural loss was shown to be limited to end organ disease. Four patients were then treated for 18 to 22 months with synthetic human calcitonin with an improvement in those biochemical parameters which reflect skeletal disease. No improvement in the hearing occurred.


Four-year-olds in a new suburb: the need for medical and social care. The standardized Swedish health examination of 4-year-olds was performed in a residential suburb of Stockholm with a high percentage of young families and immigrants. Emphasis was placed on identifying children in need of pedagogic and psychological measures. Psychological problems were identified by: a structured interview with the parents, and an examination of the child, including developmental screening tests and the parents' assessment of the child's behaviour at home. We have placed more emphasis on the findings and evaluation at the examination than on interview data when arriving at a psychological diagnosis. The somatic part of the examination revealed only minor problems, confirming previous studies on four-year-olds in Sweden. Twelve percent of the 257 children were referred for further psychological investigation, and 16% were recommended early admittance to preschool because of psychological problems. Among the 46 immigrant children who did not have any Swedish parent, more than 50% did not speak Swedish and were recommended early admittance to preschool. In the whole material, 41% needed or were already (17%) in preschool or day nurseries. This indicates unfulfilled demands on such services within the community. The mother's perception of her lack of social contacts in the neighbourhood correlated with the presence of psychological problems and the need for subsequent measures for her child.


Pharmacotherapy in tracheal stenosis.

Pharmacotherapy in tracheal stenosis. From our experience in the treatment of immunological diseases with a tendency to the formation of granulomas, we conceived the idea of treating pharmacotherapeutically the scar-tissue formation in recurrent tracheal stenosis. We have combined two medicines with different modes of action, namely, klorokin and penicillamine. Two patients with recurrent tracheal stenosis have been treated with remarkable results. After several unsuccessful operations it has now been possible to decannulate both of them and enable them to regain a normal way of living.


Asymptomatic bacteriuria in schoolgirls. I. Clinical and laboratory findings. Among 116 schoolgirls with asymptomatic bacteriuria detected at urinary screening, renal parenchymal reduction was found in 10.3%, while reflux was found in 20.7%. Only 30% of the 116 patients had a history referable to earlier urinary tract infection and there were remarkably few girls with an increased sedimentation rate (4.4%), C-reactive protein (9.5%), pyuria (25.8%) or lowered concentrating capacity (3.4%) at the time of detection of their bacteriuria. No method was found efficient in predicting lesions on the pyelogram and urethrocystogram, but determination of renal concentrating capacity and C-reactive protein was of some value in predicting parenchymal reduction. The girls with pyelonephritic changes on the pyelogram had a mean renal concentrating capacity significantly lower than the girls without changes. The concentrating capacity of the girls with reflux but without renal scarring and those bacteriuric patients without radiologically demonstrated defects did not differ significantly from the age-related normal values.


Bone resorption in chronic otitis media. A light-microscopical and histochemical investigation of acid phosphatase activity. As a continuation of our previous work, where we have demonstrated that in chronic otitis media the picture in the submucosa-bone marginal zone is dominated by capillary proliferation and occurrence of a mononuclear, histiocyte-like cell containing lysosome-like cytoplasmatic bodies, we now report the presence of considerable activity of acid phosphatase in close relation to the eroded bone. The activity was localized both extracellularly, spread along the bony surface, as well as intracellularly in mononuclear, histiocyte-like cells. The acid phosphatase is the "marker" enzyme for lysosomes, and cells with these lysosomes guarantee the presence of enzymatic activity capable of attacking bone collagen. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the lysosomes and their enzymes are directly involved in the processes of bone resorption.


Asymptomatic bacteriuria in schoolgirls. III. Relation between residual urine volume and recurrence. Residual urine volume (RUV) has been measured in 70 schoolgirls with asymptomatic bacteriuria using 121I-hippuran. The mean volume of residual urine was 23.7 ml. More than 5 ml RUV, the highest value found in 14 girls without bacteriuria or a history of urinary tract infection, was found in 47% of the patients. The mean volume for residual urine in the control girls was 1-1 ml. Among the 44 girls cured for their bacteriuria be a bladder wash out test or antibiotic treatment, recurrence was significantly more common (p less than 0.001) in those greater than 5 ml in RUV (45/20, 75%) than in those with less than or equal to 5 ml (4/24, 17%). In 5 of 22 patients not treated, the bacteriuria disappeared spontaneously during a one year observation period. The RUV was less than 3 ml in 4 of these 5 girls. While the presence of residual urine per se may not be the primary event leading to bacteriuria, it may increase the risk of recurrences, by facilitating bacterial growth and impairing the wash out of bacteria from the bladder on micturition.


[Regeneration of septal cartilage in children after septoplasty. A histological study]. In eight boys aged 6.3 to 11.7 years a septoplasty had been performed according to the technique of either Cottle or Goldman. Because of new nasal obstruction 1.2 to 3.9 years later a second septoplasty was carried out. In this operation, little pieces of cartilage were excised from the formerly resected base, middle, and columellaborder of the septum for histological examination. In all pieces a regeneration of the septal cartilage by appositional and interstitial growth could be found: in a smaller amount at the resected borders of the septal base, in a larger amount at the corrected borders of the septum in the columella and in the septal middle. These histological findings of a regenerative potential of surgically traumatized septal cartilage in children by conservative septoplasty can be compared with the experiences in the growing septum of rodents.


Salivary stimulus and swallowing reflex in man. The importance of receptor stimulation by saliva for the elicitation of the swallowing reflex in man was investigated by testing the capacity for repeated dry swallowing at maximum frequency in two controlled series: one with stimulated and one with inhibited secretion of saliva. The swallowing response was recorded manometrically. A positive correlation was found between the secretion of saliva and the capacity was found between the secretion of saliva and the capacity for repeated dry swallowing. It was concluded that the swallowing reflex in man is dependent on an adequate stimulus. The importance of an intact saliva secretion specially in cases with swallowing dysfunction is pointed out.


Effect of glucagon on blood glucose homeostasis in infants of diabetic mothers. Thirty infants of diabetic mothers (IDM) were randomly selected and divided into 3 groups of 10 babies each. Group A were used as controls. Group B received glucagon 300 mug/kg i.m. and Group C received glucagon 300 mug/kg i.v. at birth. Hypoglycemia developed in 6 infants in Group A and 4 infants in Group B. None of the infants in Group C had hypoglycemia. Mean blood glucose was higher in Group C in the first 3 hours than Group A, and higher in Group B in the first (/2-1 hour. I.v. glucshon, 300 mug/kg when given in the first 15 minutes after birth prevented hypoglycemia in IDM in the first hours of life.


Plasma tocopherol in infants and children. A study has been made of plasma tocopherol concentrations in normal children and in children with intestinal abnormalities. A positive correlation between plasma tocopherol and age is shown between the ages of 4 months and 10 years. Most patients with cystic fibrosis or coeliac disease were found to have markedly reduced plasma tocopherol concentrations in comparison with the normal children of similar age.


Treatment of acute maxillary sinusitis. IV. Ampicillin, cephradine and erythromycinestolate with and without irrigation. Six groups, each containing 50 patients with acute maxillary sinusitis, were treated with ampicillin plus nasal decongestant, ampicillin plus irrigation, cephradine plus nasal decongestant, cephradine plus irrigation, erythromycinestolate plus nasal decongestant, erythromycinestolate plus irrigation. The diagnosis was radiologically established and the healing likewise radiologically assessed on the fifth, tenth and fifteenth day. Treatment was given for 10 days. All groups demonstrated a similar radiological healing except cephradine plus nasal decongestant which was inferior to the others. Contrarily, side effects were least frequent in the cephradine groups and most frequent in patients cured with ampicillin. The difficulty in choosing the best treatment is discussed in relation to such factors as therapeutic results, side effects, long-term consequences of antibiotic treatment, establishment of any bacterial etiology and penetration characteristics of antibiotics into the diseased sinus.


Coagulation changes associated with a high haematocrit in the newborn infant. Sequential blood coagulation studies were performed on samples from three newborn infants with venous haematocrit values of over 65%. Combinations of thrombocytopaenia, circulating fibrin monomer and evidence of intravascular thromboplastic activity were found. Reduction of the haematocrit value by partial exchange transfusion in each infant was followed by improvement of the abnormal coagulation findings. Some possible mechanisms for the origin of the coagulation abnormalities are considered.


Glucose tolerance and insulin secretion in very small babies. Nineteen exchange transfusions were performed via the umbilical artery using blood preserved with acid-citrate and dextrose in 8 infants of 34-40 weeks gestation (larger infants) and 9 very small infants of 26-33 weeks gestational age. The plasma glucose rise which was similar in both groups stimulated insulin secretion from the larger infants but not the very small infants. No significant differences occurred between the groups in the fall in mean free fatty acid levels or increase in growth hormone secretion. Following transfusion there was a sharp rise in mean plasma insulin concentration in the larger infants and a smaller rise in the very small infants. A highly significant positive correlation was found between the maximum posttransfusion plasma insulin and the birth weight of the infants. Plasma glucose levels of less than 30 mg/100 ml occurred in 2 larger and 5 very small infants during the first 3 hours after transfusion. One infant of birth weight 0.98 kg received four transfusions; in 2 where he received ACD blood via the umbilical artery or vein, insulin secretion was not stimulated but in the other 2 in which glucagon or arginine was added to the ACD donor blood, insulin secretion was stimulated. Feeding practice should take account of the fact that although very small infants secret less insulin than larger infants during exchange transfusion they are more likely to become hypoglycaemic in the immediate posttransfusion period.


Carbohydrate intolerance in infants with acute diarrhoea and its complications. Two hundred and seventy-one infants with acute diarrhoea were studied for the presence of carbohydrate malabsorption and 110 infants (40.6%) were found to have carbohydrate intolerance. Malnutrition and severe diarrhoea were found to increase the predisposition to carbohydrate intolerance. The incidence of major complications, protracted diarrhoea and mortality were significantly higher in the carbohydrate intolerant infants as compared to those with carbohydrate tolerance.


Polyunsaturated fatty acid lipidosis. II. Lipid biochemical studies. Lipid analyses were performed on cerebral tissue from three children who had died of a progressive encephalopathy and from one living child in an early stage of the disease. In the terminal stage of the disease, the cortex and white matter content of all lipid classes, particularly the sphingolipids, were very low. The concentration of gangliosides of the cerebral cortex was 10%, and of cerebrosides in white matter, 2-3% of the normal values for the age. The porportion of the minor gangliosides with short carbohydrate chains was increased because the reduction affected mainly the four major brain gangliosides GM1, GD1a, GD1b and GT1. In the child from whom the biopsy specimen was obtained in an early phase of the disease the cerebral lipid pattern appeared to be normal. A patient who had died of neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis (Janský-Bielschowsky) did not show any major lipid changes. The fatty acid patterns of the phosphoglycerides showed such changes as have never been observed in any other disease. In the three advanced cases the fatty acid compositions in cerebral cortex and white matter were identical. In ethanolamine phosphoglycerides the proportions of 18: 1 and 20: 4 (n-6) were increased, while those of 22: 4 (n-6) and 22: 6 (n-3) were markedly diminished. Similar changes in the fatty acid patterns were found in the other phosphoglycerides. In the early phase of the disease 22: 4 (n-6) was decreased and 18: 1 increased. We propose that this new disease be termed polyunsaturated fatty acid lipidosis (PFAL).


Post-mortem distribution and tissue concentrations of digoxin in infants and adults. By means of 86Rb uptake inhibition assay, the distribution and tissue concentrations of digoxin in various tissues during maintenance therapy were studied post mortem in 12 infants (aged 5 days to 8 months) and 17 adults (aged 49-91 years). The mean maintenance dose for infants was 0.014 mg/kg bw/24 h and for adults, 0.005 mg/kg bw/24 h. The same relative distribution of the glycoside found in infants and in adults was: choroid plexus greater than ventricular myocardium greater than kidney greater than liver greater than skeletal muscle. Between infants and adults, the mean digoxin concentrations in choroid plexus, kidney, liver, and skeletal muscle did not differ significantly; however, significant differences were found in the glycoside concentrations in ventricular and in atrial myocardium. Both infants and adults showed a difference in the content of the glycoside within the heart, the concentration in ventricular muscle being significantly higher than in atrial. There seemed to be no direct relation between the tissue concentrations of the glycoside (myocardium, skeletal muscle) and the daily maintenance dose/mg/kg bw/24 h). The results suggest that the myocardial binding of digoxin is higher in infants than in adults.


Plasma concentrations of phenobarbital in the treatment of seizures in newborns. The plasma concentration of phenobarbital given as anticonvulsive treatment in the newborn period has been followed in 18 infants. With constant daily doses, the drug accummulated for at least 5 days. After intramuscular injection of a single dose, 90% of the peak concentration was reached within 4 hours in 8 of the 10 infants. The peak concentration (in mug/ml) approximately equalled 1.3 x the dose (in mg/kg). Absorption after oral administration was less reliable. In 12 of the infants the clinical course allowed attempts to evaluate the anticonvulsive effect of phenobarbital. In 4 cases the convulsions continued. In those 8 infants where phenobarbital seemed to be effective, the approximate range of phenobarbital concentration when convulsions ceased was 12-30 mug/ml. Phenobarbital half-life ranged between 59 and 182 hours. In some infants the rate of phenobarbital disappearance from the plasma varied considerably from day to day. The pathological conditions causing seizures probably influence the distribution, metabolism and excretion of the drug. For the often seriously ill infants with convulsions it is therefore difficult to construct rational maintenance dose schedules, and optimal dosage must be based on repeated determinations of the plasma concentration.


Gastric emptying in newborns and young infants. Measurement of the rate of emptying using indium-113m-microcolloid. The rate of gastric emptying was measured in newborns and young infants by a new radio-isotopic method. 28 control babies and 6 infants with projectile vomiting were given a 50 ml standard milk feeding containing 15 muCi of Indium-113m-microcolloid. The radioactivity in the stomach was counted at regular intervals with a gamma-camera. The gastric emptying followed an exponential pattern with a "half-life" of 87 plus or minus 29 minutes in 24 out of 28 control babies. In 6 patients with projectile vomiting gastric emptying was impaired severely. Three of them with hypertrophic pyloric stenosis showed complete stasis of gastric contents. Gastric emptying returned to normal 8-16 days after pyloromyotomy. It is suggested that the radioisotopic technique is helpful in evaluating the severity of pyloric stenosis and that it is of value in studies of the action of pharmacological substances on gastric emptying.


The use of clinical gestational age assessment in the construction of standards for birthweight in a rural nigerian community. The management of low birthweight infants in the developing world is complicated by the lack of criteria for distinguishing between preterm and small gestational age newborns. Clinical gestational age assessment has been applied to 850 normal singleton neonates in a rural Nigerian community. The technique used was sufficiently accurate to enable centile curves for birthweight and gestational age to be constructed. Comparison with a European community showed that in the African babies weight gain was reduced in late pregnancy and had ceased by 40 weeks gestation but that the median birthweight was less at each week of gestation studied. The preparation and use of such reference curves for birthweight and gestational age for the study of the reasons for these differences is discussed.


Hospital cross-infection on children's wards with respiratory syncytial virus and the role of adult carriage. A further 18 children who acquired respiratory syncytial (R.S.) virus infection on general paediatric wards have been identified, bringing the total number of hospital cross-infections by this virus to 46 for the last 3 annual R.S. virus epidemics on Tyneside. 25 of these 46 illnesses involved the lower respiratory tract. Carriage of R.S. virus by staff and visitors was studied on one ward, and appeared to be responsible for at least 2 and probably 4 of the 6 cross-infections detected on this ward. Methods for controlling the transmission of virus by adults on children's wards are discussed.


Case report: infantile sub-lobar emphysema and tracheal bronchus. Localised disturbance of aeration in children is as often the result of mucosal swelling due to infection as resulting from an inhaled foreign body. The present report adds another cause: tracheal bronchus. Elucidation of this cause of localised disturbance of aeration usually includes bronchoscopy, the anesthesia and direct trauma involved being highly  undesirable if i infection is the cause. The case for limited, careful bronchography, before or instead of bronchoscopy, when the history of foreign body is lacking is presented.


Case report: maldescent of the thymus in a hypoparathyroid infant with Pharyngeal Pouch Syndrome. The clinical and pathological findings in a 6-month-old boy with III-IV pharyngeal puoch syndrome are reported. The infant had multiple congenital anomalies including absence of the parathyroid glands, maldescent of the thymus, aberrant right subclavian artery and dysfunction of the glossopharyngeal nerve. Because of persistence of the thymus in the cervical area, a thymic shadow was not found on roentgenographic examination of the anterior mediastinum. The weight and histology of the thymus were normal, as were studies of humoral and cellular immunity.


Case report: plasma adrenalin in a child with ketotic hypoglycemia and calcifications of the suprarenal glands. Urinary excretion of adrenalin has been reported to be reduced during insulin-induced hypoglycemia in a significant proportion of children having ketotic hypoglycemia. By employing a sensitive double-isotope derivative technique, plasma adrenalin and plasma noradrenalin were determined in a boy 6 years 9 months old who had had ketotic hypoglycemia with intermittent hypoglycemic symptoms from the age of 10 months. Bilateral calcifications of the suprarenal glands were present. The adrenocortical function was normal. The plasma adrenalin response to hypoglycemia were practically absent, being only 4% of the value obtained in healthy children. The results were related to previous findings of a low plasma adrenalin response in patients with ketotic hypoglycemia without adrenal calcifications and support the assumption that ketotic hypoglycemia is associated with hypoadrenalinemia.


Height and weight of school children and adolescent girls and boys in Oslo 1970. Height and weight measurements of the school children of Oslo in 1970 (aged 7 to 19 years) are reported. Weights show considerably skewed distributions with long tails towards higher weights. Weight precentiles are calculated by interpolation in the empirical distributions. Percentiles and tables for both sexes, showing height for age, weight for height and weight for age, are presented. A comparison with existing Norwegian data from Sundal, 1956, Bergen shows that the application of statistics based on normal distribution for weight, has introduced considerable error in these percentiles. Oslo children in 1970 are taller by 5-6 cm at age eighteen, than USA (Iowa) standards and 4-5 cm taller compared to Tanner-s English percentiles. Oslo children are also taller than Swedish children, and have reached a stature higher than found in any other comparable study.


The sex variable in childhood urinary-tract infection. Sex differences in childhood urinary-tract infection have been looked for by reviewing the medical records of all patients who were admitted to one medical centre during a certain time period. There were 240 patients; 26 males and 214 females, all under 14 years of age. The disease in boys-as compared with that in girls-was found to be characterized by an earlier onset, a shorter delay in diagnosis, and a shorter duration; but a higher frequency of malformations, a greater number of rehospitalizations, and a greater need for surgical intervention. Proteus infection was found more frequently in boys, while Enterococcus and Staphylococcus were more frequent in girls. The initial symptomatology did not show any significant sex difference except in late childhood where the non-specific symptoms were more common in females. No sex difference was noted with respect to the frequency of vesico-ureteric reflux or of bacteriuria without pyuria. It seems that the sex variable in this disease is worth considering in dealing with individual patients as well as in presenting data on a series of patients.


The concentrations of total cortisol and corticosterone in mixed cord plasma. Cortisol and corticosterone were determined in mixed umbillical cord plasma of 43 healthy full-term newborns. The method consisted of a combined thin-layer chromatographic-fluorimetric procedure which proved to be specific and reliable. The mean concentration in cord plasma of cortisol was 10.6 plus or minus 4.9 mug/100 ml, of corticosterone 1.8 plus or minus 0.8 mug/100 ml. The mean ratio cortisol/corticosterone F/B was 6.3 plus or minus 2.5. Neither the duration nor the time of day of delivery appeared to influence the concentration of cortisol or corticosterone in umbilical cord plasma. Also, there was no significant difference between male and female infants. In 18 instances of a pathological course of gestation and/or delivery the mean cortisol level was 9.1 plus or minus /.7 mug/ml, the mean corticosterone level 2.2 plus or minus 9 mug/100ml. The mean F/B ratio was slightly but not significantly decreased (4.2 plus or minus 1.4 mug/100 mo; p larger than 0.05). It is speculated that the high corticosterone concentration in umbilical cord plasma reflects a defect in cortisol biosynthesis (17 chi-hydroxylase deficiency) in the newborn, compared with later life.


Anal tonometry in the neonatal period in mature and premature children. Anal tonometry was performed during the first days of life in twelve premature and fourteen mature children without signs of gastrointestinal disease. A new tonometer with small dimensions was used. A pressure decrease of the internal anal sphincter after distension of the rectum could be demonstrated in all children examined and as early as two hours after birth. This was to be expected as the relaxation of the internal sphincter is part of the normal defecation reflex. Thus anal tonometry can be used in the early diagnosis of Hirschsprung's disease presumable already from the very first days of life.


Chronic supraventricular tachycardia in infancy and childhood. The results of a one to 19 year follow-up study of 9 children with supraventricular tachycardia of more than one month's duration are reported. The ECG diagnosis of tachycardia was made before birth in one patient and between the ages of 8 months and 12 years in 8. Four had sustained and 4 had repetitive tachycardia, while one patient had both patterns at different times. Reciprocal rhythm was diagnosed in 3 patients and exit block in 2. Severe symptoms had occurred in 2 patients, but as a rule symptoms were mild or absent. No treatment abolished the arrhythmias but digitalis reduced the overall ventricular rate in 6 patients. After a duration of 1-7 years, 3 patients still had tachycardia at the follow-up. In the remaining 6 patients the tachycardia had subsided 7 months to 10 years after the onset.


Increased immunoreactive plasma and urinary growth hormone in growth retardation with defective generation of somatomedin a (Laron's Syndrome). In a boy 4 years old with clinical hypopituitary dwarfism, high plasma and urinary levels of immunoreactive growth hormone were found. Somatomedin A levels in serum were low and failed to respond after short-term treatment with human growth hormone. The parents were first cousins. In the arginine and insulin tolerance tests the initially high immunoreactive growth hormone levels were later followed by a decrease to high normal values. Insulinopenic response was present during the arginine and glucose tolerance tests. As a growth hormone molecule defect is not found in these patients and no growth or other metabolic response to exogenous HGH can be demonstrated, it is concluded that a defective somatomedin generation may be present, probably in conjunction with a generalized receptor defect and deficient feedback system with abnormal release of HGH. The lack of somatomedin A is responsible for the severe growth retardation and the disturbance in carbohydrate metabolism is probably caused by sustained high growth hormone levels.


Neurological findings at follow-up in neonatal hypoglycaemia. Follow-up examination was carried out in 37 children who had been hypoglycaemic during the neonatal period. Mean age was 3 1/2 years. Five out of 7 children with asymptomatic hypoglycaemia neonatally were completely normal, while minimal brain dysfunction was evident in one, and another child showed pathological EEG. Symptomatic, transient hypoglycaemia seemed to carry a poor prognosis as only one out of 9 individuals was normal. Four patients in this group had convulsions after the neonatal period; two of these had recurrence of hypoglycaemia. One had infantile spasms and was severely mentally retarded with spastic diplegia and epilepsy. One girl was blind due to optic nerve atrophy. Four cases of cerebral palsy were detected in this group. Among 21 cases of secondary hypoglycaemia there were no cases of serious neurological sequelae. It is reasonable to assume that neonatal hypoglycaemia is an important prognostic factor. The deleterious effect on the CNS seems to be related to the duration and severity of the hypoglycaemia.


Nutrition, overnutrition, and obesity in the first year of line in Malmö, Sweden. The feeding pattern, calorie intake, weight and height were studied at various ages during the first 12 months in 243 infants born in Sweden. The feeding pattern and calorie intake was close to that recommended. 0-6% in each age group were found to be obese (20-40% above the standard weight) and 15-23% overweight (10-20% above the standard weight). The mean calorie intake during the months before and when obesity and overweight were diagnosed exceeded the normal by 10% or less. When re-examined at age 2 plus or minus 1/2 years, 50% of those children obese up to 1 year remained so, and only 2 earlier overweight had become obese. 25% of the obese children had one obese parent, compared with 10% of the normal children and overweight ones. The low incidence of overnutrition and the low freqency of obese and overweight infants in this study compared with previous studies support the idea that high calorie intake is of importance in the development of obesity during infancy. Accordingly, overnutrition seems to be one factor, in the multifactorial aetiology of obesity, and reduction of overnutrition can reduce, but not abolish, infantile obesity. Whether the reduction of this will subsequently prevent adult obesity remains to be proved.


Chemical pathology of Krabbe's disease. III. Ceramide-hexosides and gangliosides of brain. Neutral ceramide-hexosides and gangliosides in cerebral cortex and white matter of children who had died in Krabbe's disease were quantitatively isolated and characterized. The concentrations of galactosylceramides; lactosylceramides and glucosylceramides were normal or slightly increased in cerebral cortex, but all the three glycolipids were diminsihed in white matter, particularly the galactosylceramides. More complex ceramide-hexosides, globotriose, globotetraose and blood-group substance H, present in trace amounts in normal brain, were much more abundant in cerebral cortex and especially in white matter of brains affected by Krabbe's disease. The composition of the ceramide portion suggested that these glycolipids as well as a portion of the lactosylceramides and glucosylceramides were structural components of the globoid cell. The ganglioside distribution was severely altered. GD1a and GM1 were severely reduced in cerebral cortex and white matter, while GD1b and GT1 were slightly decreased in cerebral cortex, but increased in white matter. Normally minor brain gangliosides metabolically related to GD1b and GT1, i.e. GD2, GD3 and GM3, were strongly increased in cerebral cortex and in white matter. For the first time galactosylsphingosine (psychosine) was demonstrated in normal infant brain. In cerebral tissue affected by Krabbe's disease the concentration of psychosine was at least 10 times higher. The large increase in this cytotoxic substance might be the primary lesion in Krabbe's disease.


Chemical pathology of krabbe's disease. IV. Studies of galactosylceramide and lactosylceramide BETA-galactosidases in brain, white blood cells and aminotic fluid cells. Galactosylceramide beta-galactosidase and lactosylceramide beta-galactosidase activities were investigated in normal human brain, leu-kocytes and amniotic fluid cells. The enzymatic assays were performed on brains from 11 patients with Krabbe's disease, on leukocytes from 16 patients and 18 obligate heterozygotes, and on amniotic fluid cells from 9 foetuses at risk. The brain enzyme was solubilized from a 900 g-100000 g pellet. With this enzyme preparation a profound deficiency of galactosylceramide beta-galactosidase activity in brain, approximately 1% of that in age-matched controls was shown. The lactosylceramide beta-galactosidase activity of brain was also strongly reduced, but not to the same extent as the other beta-galactosidase. Galactosylceramide beta-galactosidase activity in leukocytes from patients with Krabbe's disease was generally less than 5% of that in age-matched controls and there was no overlap between the patients and the obligate heterozygotes. Carrier detection by the leukocyte enzyme was, however, not possible because of considerable overlap between heterozygotes and normal controls. The lactosylceramide beta-galactosidase activity was only moderately reduced in leukocytes, but strongly reduced in cerebral tissue from patients with Krabbe's disease. The changes in the glycolipid pattern of cerebral tissue, recently described by us in patients with Krabbe's disease, offers an explanation to the serious glycolipid beta-galactosidase deficiency in CNS.


Cardiorespiratory syndrome due to enlarged tonsils and adenoids. A case report with discussion regarding medical treatment and pathogenesis. A case of cardiorespiratory syndrome secondary to chronic upper airway obstruction from hypertrophied tonsils and adenoids, involving a three-year-old boy, is presented. The haemodynamic changes were verified by heart catheterization. The possible role of steroids in the treatment of the syndrome is suggested.


Methotrexate and prednisolone treatment of a child with psoriatic arthritis. A case of severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in a child is presented. Only one detailed report has been published previously. The result of treatment with prednisolone and methotrexate was encouraging.


Disseminated intravascular coagulation and congenital neuroblastoma. A newborn infant with congenital neuroblastoma complicated by disseminated intravascular coagulation is described. At birth the infant showed liver and spleen enlargement and shortly thereafter malignant cells were found in the bone marrow. On the fifth day of life the infant started to bleed and coabulation analysis indicated disseminated intravascular coagulation. Heparin therapy corrected the coagulation anomaly and irradiation and chemotherapy temporarily improved the general condition of the infant. The infant finally succumbed from tis primary neoplastic disease.


Proximal renal tubular acidosis in the tetralogy of fallot. A 9-year-old girl presented with tetralogy of Fallot and moderate metabolic acidosis. Despite a Blalock's fistula there was evidence of chronic hypoxia with cyanosis, clubbing of fingers and toes and very elevated blood hematocrit values. Renal acidification and bicarbonate titration demonstrated the existence of proximal renal tubular acidosis: renal bicarbonate threshold was low (18 mmoles/1) and normal urinary acidificaiton was present at subthreshold serum bicarbonate levels. Following corrective heart surgery, blood acid-base values and renal reabsorption of bicarbonate became normal. A causal relationship between extracellular fluid volume expansion dependent on the high hematocrit and proximal renal tubular acidosis is suggested.


Fine structural comparison of Ewing's sarcoma with neuroblastoma. Two cases of Ewing's sarcoma and two neuroblastoma, rosette forming and round cell type, were studied electron microscopically and their fine structures were compared.  The neoplastic cells of Ewing's sarcoma were characterized by aggregated glycogen particles in the cytoplasm.  They had pseudopod-like cytoplasmic processes having tight junctions, which never contained microtubules or mitochondria.  Ewing's sarcoma cells exhibited several stages of cell maturation and some mature cells possessed a large amount of smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum, large Golgi complexes and numerous phagosomes containing glycogen particles as well as cytoplasmic organelles.  The neoplastic cells of neuroblastoma, rosette forming type, were characterized by synaptic junctions and numerous cytoplasmic processes with production of neurites containing microtubules, neurofibrils, mitochondria and a few catecholamine granules.  A few cytoplasmic processes containing mitochondria were observed even in the round cell type.


Myocardiac changes in experimental renal failure--a light and electron microscopic study. The experiments we described in this paper demonstrated that the myocardiac lesions without hypertension could be produced by renal failure in rabbits; after this experimental renal failure, increase in blood urea nitrogen and various functional and morphological changes suggestive of heart lesions appeared. The main structural changes in the heart were cellular edema with dilatation of the sarcotubular system, destructive changes of the mitochondria and contractile elements, and coagulative degeneration. These myocardiac lesions are induced by renal failure, and are probably caused by electrolyte imbalance, metabolic disorder, and/or hemodynamic abnormality rather than by hypertensive or toxic factors.


Crescentic glomerulonephritis induced in the goat by immunization with homologous or heterologous glomerular basement membrane antigen. Crescentic glomerular changes developed in goats 16 to 46 weeks after immunization with homologous or heterologous glomerular basement membrane (GBM) antigens incorporated in Freund's complete adjuvant.  Mesangial widening, accumulation of migrant cells, fibrin deposition, and GBM thickening became manifest with time.  The GBM was then attenuated and ruptured at a local area.  Through the ruptured GBM, the influx of fibrin and blood cells occurred in the Bowman's space (BS) accompanying proliferation of epithelial cells lining the BS.  The crescent thus formed was mainly composed of the capsular epithelial cells.  The visceral epithelial cells (podocytes) and migrated blood cells contributed to the crescent formation to a lesser extent.  Basement menbrane-like material appeared later between the crescentic cells and the crescent underwent a fibroepithelial form.  The results indicate that the crescent develops in relation to the characteristic GBM damage with a resultant severe exudative change in the BS.


Retinal dysplasia--A report of two surgical cases. Two surgical cases of retinal dysplasia are reported.  The one is unlateral (left-sided) with microphthalmus and the other bilateral.  Chromosome test in the latter case showed no abnormality.  In both cases the left eye was enucleated under the clinical diagnosis of retinoblastoma.  There was a mass of loose connective tissue behind the lens which was covered by a completely detached retina.  Histological examination revealed the presence of branching tubes of primitive retinal structure and large rosettes.  The use of the term retinal dysplasia in distinction from Reese's syndrome is mentioned and some morphological characteristics of primitive retinal structure are described.


Histopathological study of six cases of Castleman's tumor. A histopathological analysis of six cases of Castleman's tumor by means of light and electron microscope was performed, with a review of literature.  All cases were hyaline-vascular type as described by Keller et al.  The morphology of lymphnoid follicles in the lesions varied according to the presence or non-presence of the germinal center which was from large active to amaciated hyalinized.  The lymphnoid follicle was essentially similar to that of normal lymph node undergoing some reactive process.  Depending on the observation  of serial sections, the lesions had lymphatic sinuses around the blood vessels in the tumor parenchyma, some of which were proved to be connected to the abortive marginal sinuses.  These findings and some clinical records suggest that the lesion originates from the lymph node and is a result of its reactive hyperplasia.


Healing of a crush injury in rat striated muscle. 2. a histological study of the effect of early mobilization and immobilization on the repair processes. The effects of both early mobilization and immobilization on the healing of a crush injury in the rat gastrocnemius muscle were studied histologically. A preproducible injury was induced on the left calf of 242 rats. The histological observations were made 2 to 42 days after the injury and the intensity of the changes was estimated semiquantitatively by scoring. During the first week, the histological changes were especially dependent on the post-traumatization treatment. The inflammatory reaction and haemotoma formation were more pronounced in the mobilized muscles and the amount of necrotic and degenerated muscle tissue was more in the immobilized muscles. The disappearance of the haematoma and of the inflammatory cells occurred more rapidly with mobilization. Scar formation was more pronounced in the mobilized injuries. immobilization for the first 2-5 days after the trauma was followed by aslight delay in the maturation and contraction of the fibrous scar. Muscle regeneration was more extensive and occurred more rapidly in the mobilized muscles. The penetration of regenerated muscle fibres throughh the scar was more pronounced in the immobilized muscles, but the orientation of the new fibres was more parallel with the original muscle fibres after mobilization. The histological differences between the treatment groups diminished markedly towards the end of the observation period.


Loss of epithelial blood group antigens A and B in oral premalignant lesions. Tissue from 40 oral premalignant lesions were investigated for the presence of blood group antigens A and B. The material included 18 leukoplakias, 1 erythroplakia, and 3 lichen planus, all with varying degrees of epithelial dysplasia, and 18 leukoplakias without histological evidence of impending malignancy. Thirty-eight benign keratotic oral muscosal lesions were included as a control group. The antigens were demonstrated by a double layer immunofluorescence technique, and the reactivity was compared, by titration, to the reactivity of adjacent normal epithelium from the same patient. All 22 lesions with dysplsia showed decreased reactivity for blood group antigen. Among the 18 leukoplakias without any signs of impending malignancy 4 cases demonstrated loss of antigen reactivity. None of 38 benign control lesions showed any change in antigen reactivity as compared to normal adjacent epithelium.


Morphometric studies of the juxtaglomerular apparatus in perimembranous glomerulonephritis. In 23 cases of perimembranous glomerulonephritis (PGN, membranous nephropathy), the juxtaglomerular cell complex (JGC-complex) in early postmortal (2 cases) and bioptically obtained specimens (21 cases) was investigated quantitatively by planimetry. The results were correlated with the stage of the PGN and the clinical findings. A statistically significant increase in mean size of the JGC-complex was found in perimembranous glomerulonephritis compared with the control group (p smaller than 0.005). Comparing the different morphological stages of PGN, the size of the JGC-complex was increased and the serum creatinine level raised in stages 3 and 4. In hypertensive patients with perimembranous glomerulonephritis, the serum creatinine levels were significantly raised as compared with the normotensive group.


Postmortem findings in primary familial amyloidosis with polyneuropathy. The pathology of primary familia amyloidosis with polyneuropathy is described on the basis of post-mortem examination of six cases from Northern Sweden. Clinically the disease is characterized by progressive sensory and motor disturbances with loss of sensation, muscular wasting and flaccid paralysis. Impotence, urinary bladder dysfunction, motility disturbances of the gastro-intestinal tract and postural hypotension indicate affection of the autonomic nervous system as well. Malabsorption, cardiac insufficiency and vitreous opacites also occur. As regards the distribution of amyloid, the following findings seemed to be characteristic. Usually there were no gross lesions indicating the amyloid disease. Histopathologically, amyloid deposits were observed in great extent in the peripheral nervous system and in various parts of the peripheral autonomic nervous system as well. It occurred extensively in the walls of blood vessels of various calibres, in the perivascular collagenous connective tissue and adjacent to the smooth musculature. Amyloid deposition was also found more or less abundantly in various other organs and tissues. No deposits, however, or only insignificant amounts, were found in the central nervous system, either in the parenchyma of the liver, in the islets of Langerhans, or in the bone marrow. Clinical manifestations seemed to be related to the local deposition of the amyloid substance. Our clinical and pathological findings in this particular type of familial amyloidosis conformed mostly to those previously described.


The effect of temperature on long-term cell adhesion. The effect of temperature on the development and maintenance of long-term cell adhesion was studied. Cell metabolism appeared to be essential for the maintenance of long-term cell adhesion at 37 degrees C. The maintenance of cell adhesion at low temperatures, however, was less dependent on cell metabolism.


MCG101-AA, a new ascites tumour in C57 mice. 4. Influence of enzyme treatment on transplantability and some in vitro characteristics. The transplantabilities of trypsin and neuraminidase-treated 101-AA cells were compared with untreated cells. The cell doses required for growth were similar for enzyme-treated and control cells. Yet, trypsinized cells injected i.v. gave rise to less lung tumours and, in one experiment, they produced more extrapulmonary tumours than control cells or neuraminidase-treated cells. These findings were collated with some data on the effect of enzyme treatment on the tumour cell membranes, obtained by particle size analysis, cell electrophoresis, lectin agglutinability and sialic acid determinations. The importance of cell surface characteristics for specific metastasis patterns, in this case a peculiar "myotrophism", is discussed.


Diffuse lipomatosis in the leg after poliomyelitis. Two elderly women with gradual enlargement of the leg following paralytic poliomyelitis are reported. From the clinical appearance, plain radiograms and angiographic studies the enlargement was thought to be caused by adipose tissue. On exploration the muscles within the calfs were found to be entirely replaced by adipose tissue. Histological examination revealed diffuse lipomatosis involving skeletal muscle, fasciae and in one case even periosteum and bone. Peripheral nerves exhibited fibrosis and myelin degeneration and vessel walls showed unusual angioma-like changes. Since it is known from the literature that peripheral nerve lesions of different kinds can be followed by adipose overgrowth we believe that there is a pathogenetic relationship between poliomyelitis and the diffuse lipomatosis in the present cases.


Myxovirus-like structures in the glomerular endothelial cell cytoplasm in canine nephritis. Electron microscopic examinations revealed the presence of myxovirus-like tubular structures, 200A in diameter, in the endothelial cytoplasm of the glomeruli in four dogs with chronic interstitial nephritis and in one healthy control dog. The structures were found inside the endoplasmic reticulum and in some longitudinal sections, the tubuli seemed to have a helical or spiral substructure. The morphology and cellular localization of the structures resembled those seen in systemic lupus erythematosus in man, and in cultures of cells from tissue infected with canine distemper. Precipitating canine distemper virus antibodies were not in evidence in dogs in which such structures were demonstrable by electron microscopy while these antibodies were found in other dogs.


Semimacroscopic examinations of the surface pattern of small intestinal mucosa in Crohn's disease. The mucosal surface pattern of surgical specimens from small intestine affected by Crohn's disease are studied using Alcian-green staining of whole mounts. The semimacroscopic appearance of the mucosa is described. Our findings include i.a. malformation and enlargement of villi-often to extreme degree-villi frequently showing small vesicles on their apical region. Polypoid structures were found to be avillous as well as covered by normal or abnormal villi. The semimacroscopic observations are compared with observations from conventional light microscopy. The villus enlargement is in the first stages caused by lymphatic dilatation and later by oedema and inflammation.


Purification of zymogen granules from monkey parotid glands. A method giving highly purified zymogen granules from Macaca irus and Cercopithecus aethiops parotid glands in reported. A 0.3 M sucrose medium for homogenization was supplemented with 10 mM tris/HCl, pH 7.3, and 0.1 mM lauric acid to stabilize the fragile monkey zymogen granules. Nuclei and cell debris were sedimented at 150 times g. A "crude" zymogen granule fraction was trapped in the 1.0 M sucrose layer of a discontinuous sucrose gradient at 1000 times g. Equilibrium centrifugation in a continuous sucrose gradient gave a fraction of zymogen granules at 1.85 M sucrose. Compared to the homogenate, this fraction exhibited about two-fold increase in zymogen granule marker, whereas mitochondrial marker was reduced to 1/4 and lysosomal marker to 1/2. A low level of contamination from other cell organelles was confirmed by electron microscopic investigation.


Experimental renal candidiasis in mice and guinea pigs. As a part of an experimental study of the spread of urogenital infections, male guinea pigs and mice were intravenously injected with a sublethal dose of Candida albicans in a long-time experiment. The kidney was the organ of maximum infection. Spread in the kidney was observed from the cortical and glomerular capillaries, where the injected yeast cells first lodged, but after pseudomycelial transformation penetrated into the Bowman's space and into the lumen of the tubuli. Guinea pigs recovered from the infection. In mice the renal candidiasis progressed and two types of the disease could be distinguished: an acute type with cortical abscesses and a chronic type with partly necrotic tips of the pyramids and adhering fungal masses in the pelves. A similar picture has been observed in man. The pathogenesis of renal candidiasis seems to resemble that of renal tuberculosis.


Male genital tuberculosis-the possibility of lymphatic spread. A case report. A 52-year old man with recurrent, persistent tuberculosis developed a tuberculous epididymitis. No inflammatory changes were found in the ductus deferens. It is likely that spread of infection from the prostate to the epididymis occurred via the lymphatics in the funiculus spermaticus.


Influence of therapeutic concentrations of phenylbutazone on granulocyte function. The influence of therapeutic concentrations of phenylbutazone on human granulocyte function has been examined using a method which facilitates a precise in vitro evaluation of the phagocytic and bactericidal activities of polymorphonuclear leucocytes. Phenylbutazone caused a marked reduction in intracellular killing of bacteria by the granulocytes. Whether this inhibition of granulocyte function also takes place in vivo resulting in enhanced susceptibility to infection, remains unknown.


Correlation between twitching motility and possession of polar fimbriae in Acinetobacter calcoaceticus. Negatively stained preparations of 16 strains of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus were examined in the electron microscope. Five of the strains did and 11 of the strains did not exhibit twitching motility. Two of the non-twitching strains were substrains of twitching wild-type strains. All twitching strains were found to possess fimbriae with a diameter of approximately 50 A. These fimbriae were shown to be of polar origin except in one strain where, for technical reasons, the origin could not be determined with certainty. Polar fimbriae could not be demonstrated in any of the strains that did not exhibit twitching motility. The demonstration of polar fimbriae was only regularly possible during the exponential growth phase, presumably because the fimbriae are shed by the bacteria during later growth phases. During the study, methods were developed for securing exponentially growing bacteria in concentrations suited for the preparation of negatively stained cells for electron microscopy. Peritrichously arranged fimbriae with a diameter of approximately 30 A were demonstrated in nearly all strains studied, especially on cells in late growth phases. The occurrence of this kind of fimbriae was therefore not correlated with the occurrence of twitching motility.


A fimbriated strain of Pasteurella multocida with spreading and corroding colonies. A strain identified as Pasteurella multocida ("dog type") grew on blood agar with spreading and corroding colonies; it was found to be fimbriated. A non-fimbriated variant of the strain which did not produce spreading and corroding colonies was isolated. The fimbriated strain regularly formed surface growth by static incubation in broth. The mode of surface translocation of this strain appeared to be twitching.


Brief report. separation of pathogenic Treponema pallidum from host rabbit tissue to obtain virulent and viable microorganisms. T. pallida extracted from infected rabbit testes were purified from different tissue particles by equilibrium density centrifugation at 25 degrees C after layering on a column of Ficoll-sodium metrizoate solution. After centrifugation, 32 per cent of the treponemes were present in a visible band and about 57 per cent were concentrated in the three ml suspension just above the interface between the Ficoll-Na metrizoate cushion and treponeme-containing medium. The treponemes were viable, virulent and retained their morphological integrity, infectivity, and antigenicity. Purity of the different fractions was studied by immunodiffusion experiments. The purified preparations of virulent, viable treponemes will provide a better antigen in the FTA-ABS tests and possibly in the TPI and TPHA tests; in cellular immunity studies, electron microscopic investigations of the ultrastructure of treponemes, vaccination studies and in tissue culture investigations.


Differentiation between Pseudomonas cepacia and Pseudomonas pseudomallei in clinical bacteriology. If only conventional laboratory tests are used, the widely occurring species Pseudomonas cepacia may, due to its variability, sometimes be difficult to differentiate from the dangerous pathogen Pseudomonas pseudomallei. In a comparative study using fresh isolates it is shown that animal inoculation seems to be a useful additional method in the differentiation. Also the determination of the ability to utilize selected carbon sources such as starch, hydroxybenzoate and uracil is helpful in reaching a correct identification.


Localization of antigens in thin sections of bacteria by the immuno-peroxidase technique. The immunoperoxidase technique together with electron microscopy has been examined for the ultrastructural localization of staphylococcal protein A, the immunoferritin method being included for comparison. The results show that protein A is uniformly distributed in the whole cell wall. Both the direct and indirect methods, Fab- as well as Fc-reactions, showed identical results. tthe immunoperoxidase method was superior to the immunoferritin method, especially when applied to thin sections of the bacteria, and the clear specificity demonstrated indicates a useful method for localization of cellular antigens.


Examination of fimbriation of some gram-negative rods with and without twitching and gliding motility. Negatively stained preparations of 30 different strains of gram-negative rods representing 20 different taxa were examined in the electron microscope. Thirteen of the strains studied exhibited twitching and six of the strains exhibited motility. Additionally, non-twitching substrains of two of the twitching strains and a non-gliding substrain of one of the gliding strains were examined. A variety of cultural media, preparations for negative straining and negative strains were used. It was found that all strains with twitching motility possessed fimbriae, the diameter of which was approximately 50 A in all but one strain; the fimbriae of this strain had a diameter of approximately 40 A. The fimbriae were judged to be of polar origin in all cases where the origin could be determined with certainty. On none of the strains without twitching motility could fimbriae be demonstrated. Only one of the six strains with gliding motility possessed fimbriae.


The occurrence of twitching motility among gram-negative bacteria. Almost 1000 strains representing well above 50 different species or groups of gram-negative bacteria were examined for twitching motility. This kind of motility was mainly found in strictly aerobic cocci and rods (viz. Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, Moraxella spp., Neisseria gonorrhoeae, N. meningitidis, Pseudomonas spp., phenon 3 of Thornley that is closely related to Acinetobacter, and marine, yellow-pigmented rods), but also in the facultative Eikenella corrodens and in anaerobic strains presumptively identified as "Bacteroides corrodens" earlier. Strains of species known to possess polar fimbriae were shown to exhibit twitching motility. None of the strains of species known to possess peritrichously arranged fimbriae exhibited twitching motility.


On twitching motility and its mechanism. Previously published reports have established a correlation between twitching motility and the possession of polar fimbriae in all cases examined. Twitching motility was shown to be highly dependent on the availability of liquid at the agar surface. In the present paper experiments are reported that establish: 1) the dependence of twitching on the existence of a layer of liquid of a particular thickness, 2) the production of such a liquid layer surrounding areas of growing organisms, and 3) the affinity of twitching bacteria for the air-water interface. Reasoning from these facts, it is postulated that the demonstrated affinity for the air-water interface is conferred upon the cells by the polar fimbriae. It is also suggested how the movements might be generated.


A study of the ultrastructure of the buffalo pox virus. Buffalo pox virus (strain BP 4) has been studied by electron microscopy of sections of infected chorioallantoic membrane cells. The ultrastructure of the virus has been described and compared with the ultrastructure of vaccinia virus. No differences between the two viruses were found. In relation to the ways of release two forms of mature virions have been described. These are probably analogous to the previously described C- and M-form of vaccinia.


Rubella in Iceland.

Rubella in Iceland. Rubella has been a notifiable disease in Iceland since 1888. In this century rubella epidemics of increasing size have occurred at intervals of 5-10 years. The disease has spread throughout the country. About 75% of the patients were below 15 years of age at the time of the last two epidemics. Females account for 51-61 per cent of the reported cases. In this first study of the sero-epidemiology of rubella in Iceland, epidemiological data and blood samples were collected from 1464 women from 13 locations. The group of 1464 women was further divided into 12 age-groups (range 5-49 years), so as to make correlations with the last six epidemics. The immunity status was determined by measuring HI-antibodies in serum. 67.8 percent of the sera were positive (HI-titre greater than 20). 81.1 per cent of women of child-bearing age (16-42 ys.) were seropositive. Two of the age-groups have gone through only one epidemic '63-'64. Children who were then 1-3 ys. old have an immunity ratio of 46.1 per cent, this ratio being 73.3 per cent in the case of children who had attained school age. The immunity ratio is slightly lower among subjects from rural districts than among those from urban districts. Most of the women have caught the disease at the time of the first or second epidemic to occur in their lifetime. 11.6 per cent of persons giving a positive history were seronegative, 52.1 per cent of seropositive subjects gave a positive history. According to population statistics and the serological results it is estimated that appr. 1 out of 7 cases was reported in the epidemic '63-'64.


Lipolytic activity of Staphylococcus aureus strains from cases of human chronic osteomyelitis and other infections. The fatty acid accumulation in a lipid emulsion broth was examined after growth of S. aureus strains incubated for 18 hours at 37 degrees C. Among 40  strains from acute infections and from nasal carriers, Tween 80-positive staphylococci in phage group III caused accumulation of significantly larger amounts of fatty acids than did Tween 80-positive strains in phage group I and Tween 80-negative strains in phage groups I and III. Eight out of 17 S. aureus strains isolated from chronic osteomyelitis gave rise to a low amount of, or total lack of, fatty acids in the lipid broth. Seven of these 8 strains were isolated from cases showing relapse after intensive and prolonged antibiotic treatment. The lipid metabolism of 4 strains showing fatty acid accumulation in lipid broth, ranging from zero to the highest value found in the investigation, was further studied. Results of examination of lipolytic action on trioleinphospholipid and incorporation of 14C-labelled oleic acid suggest that the degree of accumulation of fatty acids in lipid broth depends on variations in the lipolytic activity of the strains rather than on differences in incorporation of the produced fatty acids. The significance of fatty acid accumulation is discussed in relation to the prognosis of chronic staphylococcal osteomyelitis.


Yersinia enterocolitica in small rodents from Norway, Sweden and Finland. The purpose of the present investigation was to study the occurrence of Yersinia enterocolitica (Y.e.) among small rodents and shrews (Soricidae) from Norway, Sweden and Finland. During a period of one year beginning in the autumn of 1973, animals from seven localities were examined. Twenty-four strains of Y.e. were isolated from 551 small rodents. Isolations were made from six of the seven localities and from six of the nine small rodent species examined. Pooled faeces samples from 397 animals yielded 12 strains. Faeces from 154 small rodents were separately investigated: Twelve (8 per cent) of these animals harboured Y.e. No isolations were made from 52 shrews. Most of the strains showed antigenic relationship to O-serotypes previously reported from untreated drinking water in Norway. Two strains were antigenically related to O-serotype 3 but differed biochemically from the strains found in man and swine. The results indicate that Y.e. has a widespread distribution among small rodents in Norway, Sweden and Finland.


Radiorespirometric studies in genus Neisserai. I. The catabolism of glucose. The catabolism of glucose in selected Neisseria species was studied by radiorespirometry. The Entner-Doudoroff and pentose phosphate pathways were operating in all species, the greater part of the substrate being routed through the former, somewhat dependent on the medium used. Acetate was oxidized via the tricarboxylic acid cycle. In all species, a fraction of the triose was recycled through fructose phosphates to glucose 6-phosphate. Phosphate inhibited the oxidation of acetate. In media devoid of phosphate and sodium (N. meningitidis and N. gonorrhoeae) or of phosphate and potassium (other saccharolytic Neisseria), the conversion of triose to pyruvate was inhibited. In these media the catabolism of glucose proceeded slowly, and no substrate was used for biosynthetic purposes. The results point to a difference in the regulation of glucose metabolism in pathogenic and non-pathogenic Neisseria.


Characterization of Micrococcaceae from the urinary tract. Two hundred and seven urinary strains of staphylococci and micrococci were classified biochemically according to Baird-Parker (1963) and by means of a simplified schema. One hundred and thirteen strains belonged to Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermids or S. saprophyticus (64 strains) according to the simplified schema, respectively to Baird-Parker's sub-groups SI, SII or M3. S. saprophyticus was isolated from young, female out-patients, was relatively resistant to novobiocin and contained poly AbetaC (beta-N-acetylglucosaminyl ribitol teichoic acid and beta-N-acetylglucosaminyl glycerol teichoic acid). S. aureus and S. epidermidis were isolated from older, male in-patients, were sensitive to novobiocin and contained poly A (N-acetylglucosaminyl ribitol teichoic acid), respectively poly B (glucosyl glycerol teichoic acid). Ninety-four strains belonging to other Staphylococcus or Micrococcus subgroups could not be classified by the simplified schema. With few exceptions, these strains were sensitive to novobiocin and either gave a precipitin reaction corresponding to poly C or were non-typable with the teichoic acid reference systems used. The simplified schema is recommended for the classification of coagulase-negative strains of Micrococcaceae.


The excitatory action of acetylcholine on intradental sensory units. In order to test the hypothesisthat ACh mediates the transmission of pain stimuli from dentin to sensory intradental nerve endings the following experiments were performed. Intradental nerve impulses were recorded by means of low impedance electrodes inserted in dentinal cavities in the tooth of the cat. An air blast proved to be an efficient physical stimulus to excite the intradental nerves. Local application of acetylcholine caused a similar response. This respinse to acetylcholine was followed by a transient blockage to repeated application. The response to acetylcholine could be blocked by d-tubocurarine, atropine, succinylcholine and hexamethonium administered locally. In contrast, the response to physical stimuli (air blasts) could not be blocked by these drugs. Moreover, during the period of depression following acetylcholine the preparation responded to physical stimuli. These findings suggest that acetllcholine is not a mediator in the intradental pain transmission provoked by physical stimuli.


Relationship between isometric endurance and fibre types in human leg muscles. Relationship between isometric endurance performance at 50% of maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MCV) and skeletal muscle fibre composition has been elucidated in 19 physical education students. This was found to be linear and the equation corresponded to: y=9.35 + 1.093x; r=0.70 (endurance time expressed in seconds and fibre composition as percent slow twitch muscle fibres (ST) of the vastus lateralis muscle). As it is assumed from previous studies that similar isometric tensions preferentially recruit fast twitch muscle fibres (FT) and that the muscle at the point of exhaustion exhibits maximal values for lactate accumulation, it is suggested that lactate formed in FT fibres is released and stored in nonrecruited ST fibres. The ability to sustain similar isometric tension would then be depending on how large the fraction of ST fibres is that can serve as a lactaterecipient for lactate producing FT fibres.


Circulatory effects evoded by 'physiological' increases of arterial osmolality. The effects of moderate arterial hyperosmolality (+20 mOsm/kg H2O), produced by short term intravenous hypertonic infusion, on vascular resistance in skin, skeletal muscle, intestine, and kidney were analyzed in the anesthetized cat. Vascular resistance decreased in all four regions in response to the hypertonicity both before and after regional sympathectomy and the effects were not significantly altered by beta-adreno-ceptor blockade. Arterial blood pressure rose during the hypertonic infusion despite the decreased vascular resistance and an unchanged heart rate, indicating an increased stroke volume and cardiac output. Similar increases of arterial osmolality are known to occur in heavy exercise and in hemorrhage. The present results may therefore suggest that blood borne hyperosmolality is a factor which can contribute to the overall cardiovascular adjustments in these situations.


Prostaglandin release and mechanical perfromance in the isolated rabbit heart during induced changes in the internal environment. The isolated rabbit heart was perfused according to the Langendorff technique. Prostaglandins in the effluent from the organ were identified by use of thin layer chromatography and assayed on the rat stomach strip. The effect of alterations of the physical and chemical conditions of the perfusion medium on the overflow of prostaglandins from the heart was studied. In addition, the capacity of noradrenaline and acetylcholine to release prostaglandins was tested. Acidosis, hyperthermia, hypothermia, hypotension, hyperosmoaarity and increased [K+] OR [Ca++] levels, while all inducing marked changes in the mechanical activity of the heart, did not induceporstaglandin release. Hypoxia, on the other hand, stimulated the liberation of prostaglandins. Noradrenaline was a potent agent for stimulation of prostaglandin release, in the absence of alpha- and betaadrenergic receptor blockade. Acetylcholine was also found to liberate prostaglandins, by activation of muscarinic receptors. The prostaglandin releasing capacity of acetylcholine was about 3 times weaker than that of noradrenaline. It is concluded that the release of prostaglandins from the rabbit heart is not dependent on the mechanical activity of the organ. Furthermore, it is suggested that prostaglandins released by hypoxia may play an important roli in the development of reactive hyperemia. Finally it is stated that the release of prostaglandins from the heart caused by acetylcholine may constitute the negative link in an endogenous prostaglandin mediated feed-back inhibition of the release of acetycholine from parasympathetic nerve endings.


Role of the symphato-adrenal system in hemorrhagic hyperglycemia. Arterial and venous plasma glucose concentration was determined at intervals in cats subjected to hemorrhagic hypotension at 50 mm Hg. The rapid rise of arterial plasma glucose after hemorrhage could be attributed to an increase release of glucose from the liver. This hyperglycemia could not be eliminated by bilateral adrenalectomy or by sectioning of the hepatic sympathetic nerves, although the response was somewhat depressed by the latter procedure. On the other hand the hyperglycemia was virtully abolished after adrenalectomy when combined with bilateral sectioning of the major and minor splanchnic nerves. The level of plasma glucagon during hemorrgage increased in cats with an intact sympatho-adrenal system, but was unchanged in animals with combined splanchnic sympathectomy and adrenalectomy. It is concluded that, during hemorrhage, the sumpatho-adrenal system influences the glucose output from the liver by three different reflex mechanisms: (a) release of catecholamines from the adrenal glands; (b) direct sympathetic nerve influence on the liver; and (c) release of glucagon from the pancreas.


Circulatory responses to stimulation of the carotid body chemoreceptors in the cat. Cardiovascular responses to carotid body chemoreceptor stimulation were followed in the 'curairzed', vagotomized, artificially ventilated cat. Stimulation of the chemoreceptors  by perfusion of the carotid sinus regions with venous blood induced a reflex vasconstriction in skeletal muscle, kidney, intestine and skin, and, in most cases, an increased heart rate. A comparison of the chemoreceptor reflex responses with those obtained by direct electrical stimulation of the regional vasomotor fibres indicated that in chemorecptor reflexes the vasomotor fibre activity increased to the same extent in skeletal muscle and intestinal resistance vessels and, probably, in the nutritional skin vessels but to a smaller extent in the renal vessels and the skeletal muscle capacitance vessels. The renal vessels and the muscle capacitance vessels seemed, however, to respond more during chemoreceptor stimulation than when the barorecptors were unloaded, indicating that anexcitation of the bulbar vasomotor centre is more effective than the withdroawal of an inhibitory restraint in activating the vasomotor fibres to these vascular sections.


Some metabolic consequences of the anaphylactic reaction in the rabbit. The administration of egg albumin to rabbits sensitized to this antigen caused marked increases in the arterial concentration of lactate, glucose and glycerol, but no change in the arterial FFA level. Antigen administration had no effect in non-sensitized rabbits. Phentolamine (3 mg/kg) or propranolol (1 mg/kg) did not significantly alter the responses to egg albumin in sensitized rabbits. Noradrenaline or sympathetic nerve stimulation decreased blood flow but caused no significant change in lipolysis in rabbit epigastric adipose tissue in situ. It is therefore questionable if catecholamines are the major cause of the observed metabolic consequences of the anaphylactic reaction in the rabbit. These metabolic events, i.e. increased lactate levels, lipolysis, and reesterification of fatty acids, are similar to those reported during hemorrhagic or endotoxin shock in dogs, in spite of specied-differences and the difference in the genesis of the shock.


Changes in the fetal heart rate and ECG during hypoxia. Previous reports on the fetal hypoxic bradycardia in animals have indicated, that there is vagal influence, especially when asphyxia is induced by umbilical cord occlusion. In the present study hypoxia was induced via the mother, thus keeping the fetal circulation intact. The experiments were conducted on mature fetuses of three different species, namely 20 guinea-pig 3 cat and 3 lamb fetuses. The ECG was recorded continuoulsy and used for measuring the fetal heart rate. The vagal influence on the fetal hypoxic bradycardia was tested by comparing the time for the onset of the bradycardia with of without vagal activity. There was no indication of any vagal component in the fetal hypoxic bradycardia, which is therfore to be regarded rather as a sign of myocardial hypoxia and failing fetal circulation. The ECG recordings showed that the fetal bradycardia initially is an AV-block, type II, and that there are progressive changes in the S-T interval as an early sign of hypoxia.


Comparative studies on the effects of bradykinin and vagal stimulation on motility in the stomach and colon. The effect of bradykinin on gastric and colonic motility was studied in anaesthetized cats with volume recording devices and compared with the effects of vagal nerve stimulation. When administered intrarterially bradykinin caused a profound and prolonged gastric relaxation. Stimultaneously there was a marked and likewise prolonged colonic contraction. The gastric relaxation closely mimicked the atropine resistant relaxation elicited by vagal nerve stimulation. These effects could not be blocked by antiadrenergic drugs and it is suggested that bradykinin and the unknown transmittor substance(s) released on vagal stimulation act in a similar way on the gastric smooth muscles and that a kinin mechanism may be involved in the vagal response. As regards the colonic motor response it was shown that bradykinin does not reproduce the vagal motility effects on colon smooth muscle but mimicks closely the atropine resistant expulsive contraction elicited by activation of the pelvic nerves.


Aspects of the central integration of arterial baroreceptor and cardiac ventricular receptor reflexes in the cat. The possible central integrative mechanisms, responsible for the earlier reported, differentiated reflex engagement of the renal and muscle vessels and the heart from cardiac ventricular receptors and arterial baroreceptors, respectively, were analyzed in atropinized cats. The reflux renal vessel, muscle vessel and heart rate responses, expressed as per cent of maximum, to graded activations of arterial baroreceptors (sinus pressure variations) and stimulations of ventricular receptor afferents in the cardiac nerve were systematically compared. Cardiac nerve stimulation with low frequencies was found to elicit more pronounced reflex renal vessel responses than muscle vessel and heart rate responses. In contrast, elevations of sinus pressure induced equally pronounced renal and muscle vessel responses. High frequency cardiac nerve stimulation elicited maximal reflex renal vessel responses, but only submaximal effects on muscle vessels and heart rate, while intense baroreceptor stimulation induced maximal reflex effector responses throughout. The submaximal heart rate response to cardiac nerve stimulation is probably due to a simultaneous activation of excitatory afferents. On the other hand, the less pronounced muscle than renal vessel responses when the cardiac nerve was stimulated probably reflect a relatively sparse innervation of muscle vasomotor neurons by ventricular receptor afferents, which seem instead to be preferentially oriented towards renal vasomotor and, possibly, cardiac motor neurons.


Incorporation of leucine into human skeletal muscle proteins. The in vitro incorporation of labelled leucine into human skeletal muscle proteins was studied with the aim to elucidate the relationship between the amino acid tissue pools and protein biosynthesis. The distribution volumes of leucine and cycloleucine in skeletal muscle tissue were similar but the equilibration time was shorter for leucine than for cycloleucine. The cellular uptake of leucine and cycloleucine was competitively inhibited by increased concentration of amino acids in the medium indicating an active transport. Optimal stimulation for incorporation of leucine into proteins was obtained at an amino acid concentration in the medium corresponding to 10 times that of normal human plasma. The incorporation of 14C-leucine into skeletal muscle proteins was linear before the total pool of free intracellular 14C-leucine and the incorporation rate of leucine calculated from the specific activity in the medium versus the amino acid concentration in the medium were different in the same experiment indicating a re-utilization of amino acids released at protein degradation. The results are compatible with the hypothesis that the proteolytically released amino acids have a competitive advantage for incorporation as compared with extra- and intracellular free amino acids. It is concluded that the amino acid pool which is in the immediate continuity with the protein biosynthesis sites equilibrates rapidly with the extracellular amino acid pool.


Dynamic properties of excitation and inhibition in the cochlear nucleus. The dynamic properties of inhibition and excitation of single units in the cochlear nucleus were studied using tones that were amplitude modulated either sinusoidally or with pseudorandom noise. The cross-correlation analysis of the unit discharge rate and the pseudorandom noise modulation of the stimuli showed that the dynamic properties determined from the responses to a single modulated excitatory tone (at CF), to a modulated excitatory tone together with an unmodulated inhibitory tone (above CF), and to a modulated inhibitory tone together with an an unmodulated excitatory tone were almost identical with regard to latency as well as to delay of the peak of the cross-covariance function. On the basis hereof it is inferred that the inhibition is either a cochlear phenomenon or that it is transmitted over pathways with identical temporal properties as those of the excitation. When 2 tones were presented simultaneously the modulation of the excitatory tone usually gave a higher degree of modulation of the discharge rate than did modulation of an inhibitory tone. Addition of an unmodulated inhibitory tone to a modulated tone at CF resulted in an extension of the range of intensities over which the maximal gain was relatively constant. In many units this range extended from about 10dB above the unit's threshold to 60 dB or more above.


Consequence of social isolation on blood pressure, cardiovascular reactivity and design in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), which inherently display exaggerated cardiovascular defence reactions to environmental stimuli (Hallbäck and Folkow 1974), and normotensive control rats (NCR) were kept isolated after they were weaned to reduce such environmental influences which normally induce psychological activation. Mean arterial pressure was followed until 7 months of age, when the cardiovascular defence reactions to acute mental stress were compared and an analysis of cardiovascular design was made. The isolated SHR but no the isolated NCR, had significantly lower pressures than their unisolated controls. Likewise, judged by the relative weight of the left ventricle and the hemodynamically evaluated design of the hindquarter resistance vessels, the structural cardiovascular adaptation was about proportionally less pronounced in isolated than in control SHR. However, their cardiovascular responses to acute "psychological stress" were equally intense, and clearly exaggerated when compared with NCR. Thus, a prolonged reduction of excitatory environmental influences implies a relatively less pronounced development of hypertension in SHR, even though an inherent hyperreactivity concerning neurohormonal pressor responses to alerting stimuli is present. These findings tress the importance of interacting intrinsic-hereditary and extrinsic neurogenic influences for the initiation of primary hypertension.


Distribution of an adenohypophysial constituent in the body. II. Quantitative tissue distribution in the rat. A peptide with a molecular weight of about 5000 has previously been shown to affect the output of semen in frogs and probably also in mammals. This sperm-releasing substance is not part of any known gonadotropic hormone. The tissue distribution of this substance has been investigated. The iodinated substance has been injected into rats and the radioactivity content of the different tissues has been determined. Iodinated rat albumin has been injected into other rats, to determine the content of blood in the different tissues. A formula has been derived to obtain a figure for real accumulation, using the radioacitivity content of the blood and of the tissues after injection of the sperm-releasing substance and albumin, respectively. The sperm-releasing substance is incorporated into the adenohypophysis, neurohypophysis, liver, kidney, lung, ovary, uterus and some male sexual organs. The causes for this distribution are discussed.


Duration of central action of angiotensin II estimated by its interaction with csf Na+. In pre-hydrated goats, an urge to drink persisted for approximately half an hour after combined infusions of angiotensin II and hypertonic (0.5 M) NaCl into the lateral or third cerebral ventricle. The intraventricular infusion of angiotensin/glucose solution, having no dipsogenic action of its own, markedly accentuated the dipsogenic and antidiuretic effects of the subsequent intraventricular infusion of hypertonic NaCl. The possibility is discussed that angiotensin may be bound at periventricular receptor sites where it continues to interact with Na+ in eliciting thirst and ADH release for about half an hour.


Influence of autonomic nerves and drugs on myoepithelial cells in parotid glands of cat. When a single electrical shock is applied to either the parasympathetic or to the sympathetic nerves a pressure rise is seen in the parotid duct of the cat, probably due to myoepithelial cell activation. No secretion occurred on single impulse stimulation. When repetitive stimulation was used both divisions of the autonomic nervous system could evoke secretion. The motor response to sympathetic stimulation was mediated via alpha-receptors while secretion mainly was mediated via beta-receptors.


The effect of stimulation of the cervical sympathetic chain on regional cerebral blood flow in monkeys. A study with radioactively labelled microspheres. 15 mum labelled microspheres were used to determine the effect of stimulation of the cervical sympathetic chain on blood flow through different parts of the brain and through some extracerebral tissues of the head in monkeys. Unilateral stimulation at 10 Hz for one min caused mean reductions in blood flow through the masseter muscle, the parotid gland, and the tongue of 76-94 percent in 9 monkeys, while in the same animals there were no convincing effects on regional cerebral blood flow.


Blood-brain transfer of d-glucose, l-leucine, and l-tryptophan in the rat. Recently Oldendorf developed a method for measurement of the early uptake of substances from the capillary bed into brain tissue after a single capillary passage of a bolus injected rapidly into the common carotid artery of the rat. The uptake of a test substance is expressed relative to the uptake of a highly diffusible reference substance, tritiated water. In this study experimental data are presented allowing to correct the uptake values for the unknown loss of tritiated water, so that the fractional unidirectional uptake (Extraction, E) can be calculated. This method is used to investigate the uptake kinetics for D-glucose, L-leucine, and L-tryptophan. For the three substances investigated the uptake kinetics involved both saturation and linear kinetics. Km values of 11 mM for D-glucose, 0.16 mM for D-glucose, 0.16 mM for L-leucine, and 0.19 mM for L-tryptophan were found. The uptake capacity, Vm, was calculated using a blood flow value of 0.85 ml/(g x min); Vm was for D-glucose 1.6, for L-leucine 0.027, and for L-trytophan 0.024 mumol/(g x min). The D-glucose Vm in the present study is comparable with Vm values in the literature, and indicates that the method may be employed for quantitative analyses of the blood-brain transfer of solutes.


Effect of alloxan-diabetes on the metabolism of rabbit colon smooth muscle. The metabolism of colon smooth muscle from normal and alloxan-diabetic rabbits was studied in vitro. Glucose uptake, incorporation of glucose minus14-C into glycogen and incorporation of leucine minus-14C into protein were determined. These three parameters were all depressed in diabetic smooth muscle incubated in a medium containing 5.6 mM glucose. Raising the glucose concentration in the medium to 22.2 mM almost doubled the glucose uptake both in diabetic and normal smooth muscle and at this glucose concentration no significant difference in this parameter was found. Insulin (0.1 U/ml) added in vitro stimulated glucose uptake, incorporation of glucose minus14-C into glycogen and incorporation of leucine minus14-C into protein in diabetic colon smooth muscle. Insulin stimulated glucose uptake to the same degree in normal and diabetic colon smooth muscle, while its effect on glucose minus14-C and leucine minus14-C incorporation tended to be somewhat more pronounced in diabetic colon muscle.


The influence of acute normovolemic anemia on cerebral blood flow and oxygen consumption of anesthetized rats. The influence of acute normovolemic anemia on cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen (CMRo2) was studied in normocapnic rats under nitrous oxide anaesthesia. The arterial hemoglobin content was reduced to values of about 12, 9, 6 and 3 g.(100 ml)(-1) by arterial bleeding and substitution with equal volumes of homolgous plasma. The CBF increased in proportion to the reduction in hemoglobin content to reach values of 500-600 per cent of normal at extreme degrees of anemia, but CMR02 remained unchanged. Cerebral venous PO2 and oxygen saturation did not decrease below normal values, indicating that tissue hypoxia did not develop. However, since the increase in CBF at hemoglobin concentrations of below 9 g(100 ml)(-1) was far in excess of that expected from the decrease in viscosity  the results indicate thatdilatation of cerebral resistance vessels occurred. This dilatation, which was obviously related to the fall in arterial oxygen content, cannot be explained by any of the current theories proposed to explain cerebral hyperemia in hypoxia.


Brain energy metabolism in anesthetized rats in acute anemia. In order to evaluate if pronounced anemic hypoxia gives rise to signs of cerebral oxygen lack the blood hemoglobin content was reduced to 6 and 3 g-(100 ml)(-1). Cerebral blood flow increased in spite of the fact that there was a moderate reduction in blood pressure, and in mean tissue CO2 tension, and in the absence of signs of an increased glyolytic rate in the tissue. With a reduction in a hemoglobin content to 3 g-(100 ml)(-1) there was a moderate increase in tissue lactate content and associated changes in other carbohydrate metabolites and in amino acids of the type seen in hypoxic hypoxia, suggesting that tissue hypoxia was present. However, since the concentrations of phosphocreatine and adenine nucleotides remained constant this hypoxia must have been slight. It is concluded that there is cerebral vasodilation in the brain in pronounced anemic hypoxia, and that this vasodilatation, in combination with the reduced viscosity, creates favourable conditions for cerebral oxygenation.


Compensatory increase in choline acetyltransferase activity in salivary glands and diaphragm muscle of the rat. When the function of salivary glands was abolished by applying ligatures to their ducts and the function of one half of the diaphragm muscle was abolished by sectioning of its phrenic nerve, the choline acetyltransferase activity was found to be increased in not duct-ligated glands and in the intact hemidiaphragm 4 weeks later. The increase was not seen within the first week. The increase in activity appears to be particularly manifested in the nerve endings, since it was seen in the hemidiaphragm but not in the phrenic nerve. Increased stream of impulses in the efferent nerves is thought to be the cause of this increase in choline acetyltransferase activity.